Showerhead device for semiconductor processing system

ABSTRACT

To create constant partial pressures of the by-products and residence time of the gas molecules across the wafer, a dual showerhead reactor can be used. A dual showerhead structure can achieve spatially uniform partial pressures, residence times and temperatures for the etchant and for the by-products, thus leading to uniform etch rates across the wafer. The system can include differential pumping to the reactor.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE TO ANY PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/930,800, filed Jul. 16, 2020, which claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/875,909 filed Jul. 18, 2019, thecontents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entiretyand for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Field

The field relates generally to a showerhead device for a semiconductorprocessing system.

Description of the Related Art

Vapor deposition processes such as atomic layer deposition (ALD) arewell-known. ALD processes typically utilize alternating and sequentialsupply of vapor-phase reactants to a substrate to deposit up to a layerof material in a controlled and highly-conformal manner, where efficientremoval of reactants between pulses is important to minimize undesiredreactions in the gas phase. Thin films deposited by ALD are used in awide variety of applications, such as in the formation of integratedcircuits. Controlled removal of materials is also highly desirable. Anexample process that controllably removes materials to define circuitryand other structures is chemical vapor etching (CVE) or atomic layeretching (ALE). Some CVE processes employ a pulsed supply of etchants.For example, in some etch processes, sequential pulses of vapor phasereactants can remove minute amounts of material from a substrate in acontrolled and/or selective manner.

SUMMARY

According to one aspect, a semiconductor processing apparatus isdisclosed. The apparatus can comprise: a reaction chamber and a firstexhaust port, the first exhaust port being configured to remove vaporsfrom the reaction chamber. The apparatus can also comprise a showerheaddevice that is connected to the reaction chamber and being configured todeliver reactant vapors to the reaction chamber. The showerhead devicecan comprise: a gas inlet that is configured to supply the reactantvapors into the showerhead device; a first showerhead plate in fluidcommunication with the gas inlet, the first showerhead plate comprisinga plurality of openings; and a second showerhead plate comprising: aplurality of inlet ports in fluid communication with the plurality ofopenings, the plurality of inlet ports configured to deliver thereaction vapors to the reaction chamber; and a plurality of secondexhaust ports configured to remove vapors from the reaction chamber. Theapparatus can also comprise one or more pumps connected to the firstexhaust port and the plurality of second exhaust ports, the one or morepumps being configured to remove vapors from the reaction chamberthrough the first exhaust port and the plurality of second exhaustports.

According to one aspect, a semiconductor processing apparatus isdisclosed. The apparatus can comprise: a reaction chamber; a reactionchamber exhaust port being configured to remove vapors from the reactionchamber; and a showerhead device that comprises: a plurality ofdistributed inlet apertures in fluid communication with a reaction vaporsource and the reaction chamber; and a plurality of distributed exhaustapertures in fluid communication with a pump and the reaction chamber.

According to one aspect, a method for etching a substrate is disclosed.The method can comprise supplying a reactant vapor to a showerheaddevice; conveying the reactant vapor to a reaction chamber through aplurality of distributed inlet apertures in the showerhead device;removing vapors from the reaction chamber by way of a first exhaust portexposed to the reaction chamber; and removing vapors from the reactionchamber by way of a plurality of second exhaust ports in the showerheaddevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the presentinvention will now be described with reference to the drawings ofseveral embodiments, which embodiments are intended to illustrate andnot to limit the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic side view of a reactor with a dualshowerhead device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side sectional view of a dual showerhead device inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 3A illustrates a gas inlet for a showerhead device in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 3B illustrates a schematic three-dimensional perspective view ofthe gas inlet of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C illustrates the gas inlet of FIG. 3A that includes an insert.

FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic side sectional view of a portion of adual showerhead device in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates an upper plan view of a second showerhead plate ofthe lower portion of the showerhead device FIG. 4 in accordance withsome embodiments.

FIG. 6 illustrates an upper plan view of a second showerhead plate inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates a reactor with a dual showerhead and a movablesusceptor in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Chemical etching of microelectronics materials may have benefits overplasma etching. However, in order to provide uniform etch rates acrossthe wafer, the partial pressures, residence times and temperatures of anetch reactant (such as an adsorbing reactant and/or an etchant) andby-products should not significantly vary spatially above the substrate(such as a wafer). Showerhead type reactors can provide uniformdistribution of the partial pressure of the incoming gas, but thepartial pressures of the by-products and residence time of the gasmolecules may not be constant across the wafer. For example, themolecules entering from the center of the showerhead have longerresidence times in the reactor compared to the molecules entering fromthe edge of the wafer, because pumping to exhaust from the reactionchamber is normally done from the perimeter of the wafer.

Various embodiments disclosed herein can be used in etching processes(e.g., CVE processes). Any suitable etch chemistries can be used in thedisclosed embodiments. As one example, the process can involve one ormore etching cycles, where each cycle exposes a substrate to a firstvapor-phase halide reactant having a first halide ligand to formadsorbed species on the substrate surface and subsequently exposing thesubstrate to a second vapor-phase halide reactant having a second halideligand that converts the adsorbed species into volatile species suchthat at least some material is removed from the film. In variousembodiments, the film can include W, TiN, TiO₂, TaN, SiN, AlO₂, Al₂O₃,ZrO₂, WO₃, SiOCN, SiOC, SiCN, AlN or HfO₂. The first vapor-phase halidecan be a metal halide, such as Nb, Ta, Mo, Sn, V, Re, Te, W, and group 5and 6 transition metals. The second vapor-phase halide can be acarbon-based halide, such as CCL₄ or CBr₄. Further examples of variousetch chemistries and processes that can be used in conjunction with thedisclosed embodiments can be found throughout International ApplicationNo. PCT/US2017/065170, which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety and for all purposes.

To create constant partial pressures of the by-products and uniformresidence times of the gas molecules across the substrate, a dualshowerhead reactor can be used. A dual showerhead structure can achievespatially uniform partial pressures, residence times and temperaturesboth for the etch reactants and for the by-products, thus leading to auniform etch rate across the wafer. This apparatus can be used either insteady state partial pressure mode, in partial pressure pulsing mode, orin total pressure pulsing mode, or combinations thereof, depending uponwhich mode is preferred to achieve desired etching conformality for thesubstrate.

Furthermore, this apparatus can be integrated with differential pumpingto the reactor. It is possible to tune the residence time distributionsand partial pressure profiles within the reactor, and therefore, theetching profile of the substrate (e.g., wafer) by modulating the pumpingspeed and conductances of the showerhead device and reaction chamber.For example, the apparatus can be used in a steady state mode (e.g.,constant etch reactant, for example etchant, flow) or a partial pressurepulsing mode (e.g., pulsing etchant flow while keeping the totalpressure constant), a pressure pulsing mode (e.g., constant etchantflow, pulsing total pressure) or a total pulsing mode (e.g., pulsingpartial pressure and total pressure) or combinations thereof. Pulsingmode and pumping mode may determine the partial pressure and residencetime distributions of etchant gas above the wafer in dynamic flowconditions, and therefore, the conformality and uniformity of the etchprocess can be controlled.

In various embodiments, the etch conformality of etch processes used inconjunction with the disclosed embodiments can be: greater than 50%;greater than 80%; greater than 90%; greater than 95%; greater than 98%;or greater than 99%. In some embodiments, etch selectivity can also becontrolled. Etch selectivity can be given as a percentage, calculate by[(etched material on surface A)−(etched material on surface B)]/(etchedmaterial on surface A). The etch amount can be measured in a variety ofways. For example, etch amount may be given as the measured reducedthickness of the etched material, or may be given as the measured amountof material etched based on comparisons of what was originally presentand what was left after the etch process. In some embodiments,selectivity for the etch process is greater than about 10%, greater thanabout 50%, greater than about 75%, greater than about 85%, greater thanabout 90%, greater than about 93%, greater than about 95%, greater thanabout 98%, greater than about 99% or greater than about 99.5%. In someembodiments, the aspect ratio of the etched features can be greater thanabout: 2:1, 3:1, 5:1, 10:1, 20:1, 40:1, or 100:1.

For example, the first, upper chamber of the showerhead device can havecontinuous flow, and the second, bottom reaction chamber can havecontinuous pumping with leaching out of the reaction by-product andprecursor to reduce pressure spikes. The bottom reaction chamber cansupply constant partial pressure within the precursor exposure times.

FIG. 1 illustrates semiconductor processing apparatus 1 that includes areactor 2 with a dual showerhead device 10. The reactor 2 includes areaction chamber 3 that has an interior portion 4 between the susceptor5 and the showerhead device 10. Within the reactor 2 and attached to thechamber 3 is a susceptor plate 5. The susceptor plate 5 extends upwardlyfrom the base of the chamber 3. The susceptor plate 5 supports thesubstrate 6 (e.g., wafer) during processing. The dual showerhead device10 can be disposed over the susceptor 5 and substrate 6. Although notshown, a gas manifold can supply reactant and inactive gases to theshowerhead device 10, which can disperse the supplied gases across thewidth of the substrate 6 to etch material. The inlet manifold 11 can befluidly connected to a reactant source, such as a source of etchreactant, e.g., an etchant or adsorbing reactant (see, e.g. FIG. 2 ).The etchant source may be a gas bomb, and/or may include a vaporizationdevice for vaporizing etchant chemicals that are naturally liquid orsolid.

In some embodiments, the dual showerhead 10 can include a plurality ofgas inlets 18 (apertures) and a plurality of gas outlets 20 (apertures)or exhaust ports. The inlet 18 and outlet apertures 20 may not be indirect communication with one another but can both fluidly communicatedirectly with the reaction chamber 3 below them. In some embodiments, asecond gas outlet line 26 or exhaust port can provide fluidcommunication directly with the reaction chamber 3 to remove gases fromthe reaction chamber 3. As demonstrated in FIG. 1 , reactant gas (e.g.,an etch gas) can enter into the dual showerhead device 10 at the gasinlet(s) 16 into an upper plenum 24 and flow towards the susceptor plate5 holding a wafer 6. The dual showerhead's 10 gas outlet apertures 20remove vapors from the chamber 3 through a pump 9 connected to aninternal, or lower, showerhead plenum 22. The second gas outlet line 26can also be utilized to remove vapors through the pump 9. In someembodiments, the same pump 9 can be used with both gas outlet lines 20,26. In other embodiments, both gas outlets 20, 26 have a separate pump 9connected to each of the gas outlet lines 20, 26. In some embodiments, avalve 38 is connected to each gas outlet line 20, 26 and works in tandemwith a pump 9 to control the flow of gas out of the reactor chamber 3.

Thus, in the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the semiconductor processingapparatus 1 can include a reaction chamber 3 and a reaction chamberexhaust port 7 configured to remove vapors from the reaction chamber 3.The showerhead device 10 can include a plurality of distributed inletapertures 18 in fluid communication with a reactant vapor source and thereaction chamber 3. The showerhead device 10 can include a plurality ofdistributed exhaust apertures 20 in fluid communication with a pump 9and the reaction chamber 3. The same or different pumps 9 may connect tothe showerhead 10 and the reaction chamber 3. In the illustratedembodiment, an internal plenum 22 within a lower portion 14 of theshowerhead 10 (e.g., defined between two plates) can communicate withthe pump 9. The inlet apertures 18 can extend through the showerheaddevice 10 and can bypass the internal plenum 22 in some embodiments. Theinlet apertures 18 can communicate with an upper plenum 24, above thelower portion 14 of the showerhead 10. FIG. 1 shows a simple side gasinlet 16 communicating with the upper plenum 24. However, as will bebetter understood from the description below of FIGS. 2-3C, the upperplenum 24 can instead communicate with an inlet manifold distributingreactant vapors across the upper plenum 24.

One or a plurality of pumps 9 can draw residue gases from the exhaustports 20 in the showerhead device 10 and from the reaction chamber 3exhaust port 7. In some embodiments, the pumping speed of gases throughthe reaction chamber 3 exhaust port 7 in the showerhead device 10 canvary from about 25 m³/h to about 5000 m³/h., with the pump 9 speedsbeing between about 50 m³/h and about 2500 m³/h in some embodiments, forexample, between about 100 m³/h and about 2000 m³/h. In someembodiments, the pumping speed of gases through the reaction chamber 3exhaust port 7 in the reaction chamber 3 can vary from about 25 m³/h toabout 5000 m³/h., with the pump speeds being between about 50 m³/h andabout 2500 m³/h, for example, between about 100 m³/h and about 2000m³/h. In various embodiments, the pump speeds (or valves 38 incommunication with a common pump 9) can be modulated to draw differentflow rates of exhaust gases from the showerhead device 10 and thereaction chamber 3 exhaust port 7. In some embodiments, the ratio of thepumping speed of gases through the exhaust ports 20 in the showerheaddevice 10 to the pumping speed of gases through the reaction chamber 3exhaust port 7 in the reaction chamber 3 can be in a range of 100:1 to1:100, in a range of 50:1 to 1:50, in a range of 10:1 to 1:10, in arange of 5:1 to 1:5, in a range of 2:1 to 1:2, or in a range of 1.5:1 to1:1.5. By adjusting the pumping speeds, the etch process can bemodulated. Beneficially, the differential pumping systems and techniquesdisclosed herein and shown in FIG. 1 can improve the uniformity andconformality of etching techniques.

In various embodiments disclosed herein, the modulation of residencetime of gaseous or plasma species can be used in plasma etchingreactors. Thus, in some embodiments, the apparatus 1 can be used withplasma etching reactors. For example, for RF plasma reactors, as isknown in the art, a remote plasma can be formed within the showerhead 10(the upper 12 and lower portions 14 of the showerhead 10 serving asplasma electrodes), or in situ within the reaction chamber 3 (theshowerhead device 10 and the susceptor 5 and/or reaction chamber 3 wallsserving as plasma electrodes). The embodiments disclosed herein can alsobe applied in modulating the plasma itself. In other embodiments, theapparatus 1 disclosed herein can be used in etching reactors that arenot plasma etch reactors, and/or in reactors that are not used fordeposition processes.

In various embodiments, a throttle valve can be provided to regulate thepump(s) 9 to modulate the residence time by tuning effective pumpingspeeds and/or by using a showerhead device 10 with appropriate values ofx, the spacing between the inlet 18 and outlet apertures 20 of theshowerhead device 10. In various embodiments, the residence time of gasmolecules can be defined as τ, with τ=v/s, where v is the volume ofreaction space and s is the effective volumetric pumping speed. s can bedefined as total effective pumping speed and can be dependent on thenumber of holes in the showerhead device 10 and the distance x betweenthe inlet 18 and outlet holes 20 of the showerhead device 10. Residencetimes can describe how long a particular gas species spends inside thereaction space before being pumped out through exhaust lines 26.

In some reactors 2 (both plasma as well as thermal etching reactors),the volume of the reaction space may be constant. Various embodimentsdisclosed herein provide a solution to constant reaction spaceenvironment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 . In various embodiments,the residence time can be in a range of 0.1 ms to 10 seconds. Forexample, the residence time can be in a range of 0.1 ms to 1 ms, 1 ms to10 ms, 10 ms to 1 s, 1 s to 5 s, 5 s to 10 s, or 5 s to 1 min. Thespacing distance x can range from a few millimeters to a fewcentimeters, for example, in a range of 1 mm to 5 cm, in a range of 1 mmto 1 cm.

FIG. 2 illustrates a sectional view of a semiconductor processingapparatus 1 that includes a dual showerhead device 10 for dispersing gasover a substrate 6 and exhausting, according to various embodiments. Insome embodiments, the dual showerhead 10 has an inlet manifold 11 (e.g.,a conically shaped top portion) that feeds into an upper portion 12 ofthe showerhead device 10. The upper portion 12 may include an uppershowerhead plate 13 (which can comprise a cylindrical or disc-shapedbody) and an upper plenum 24 below it. The upper showerhead plate 13 canbe disposed over a second, lower portion 14 of the showerhead device 10.In some embodiments, the inlet manifold 11 and upper showerhead plate 13can be manufactured separately and joined by welding both componentstogether. In other embodiments, the inlet manifold 11 and the uppershowerhead plate 13 can be joined together with mechanical joints. Inother embodiments, the dual showerhead 10 can be manufactured from asingle piece of material. The connection between the showerhead 10components can lead to a vacuum or non-vacuum type of sealing. In someembodiments, a space is provided between the upper 12 and lower portions14 of the showerhead device 10, which creates the upper showerheadplenum 24.

The inlet manifold 11 can be installed near the upper portion 12. Theinlet manifold 11 can be connected to a reactant vapor source, whichallows reactant gas from a tank or vaporizer to flow into the showerheaddevice 10 from the inlet manifold 11. Several channels 42 or branchescan be formed within the inlet manifold 11 and can be in fluidcommunication with one or multiple gas inlet apertures 18, such as byway of the upper plenum 24. Reactant vapor entering into the showerheaddevice 10 through the inlet manifold 11 can travel through the channels15 defined in the upper showerhead plate 13. In some embodiments, thelower portion 14 of the showerhead device 10 can include both inletports 18 (apertures) and outlet or exhaust ports 20 (apertures). Thereactant inlet apertures 18 are in fluid communication with the inletmanifold gas channels 42 and gas inlet 16, by way of the upper plenum24, and as a result, allow the gas to flow from the showerhead device 10to enter into the reaction chamber 3. In some embodiments, the outlet orexhaust apertures 20 can pull residue gases into the showerhead device10 through vacuum pressure applied by a vacuum source such as a pump 9.As shown, a reaction chamber gas outlet port 7 can draw gases from thereaction chamber 3 and can be in fluid communication with one or morepumps 9. The gas outlet line 26 can be connected to one or a pluralityof pumps 9, which can create a vacuum pressure that draws residue andother gases into the exhaust ports 20 of the showerhead device 10 andinto the reaction chamber exhaust port 7. The gas inlet 16 and gasoutlet 26 structure of the showerhead device 10, together with thereactant chamber exhaust port 7, can enable the reactor 2 to havespatially uniform partial pressures, residence times, and temperaturesfor etchant gases and for the by-products thereof.

FIGS. 3A-C illustrate various embodiments of a gas inlet manifold 11above the showerhead device 10. As can be seen in FIG. 3A, the gas inletmanifold 11 can have a main line 40. As can be seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B,the gas channels 42 can branch off the main line 40. The gas channels 42branch off in multiple direction at multiple points from the main line40. The main line 40 can have a slightly conical shape, in which theinner diameter d of the main line 40 reduces towards the center of theshowerhead. By reducing the inner diameter d towards the center of theshowerhead 10, the gas entering into the showerhead 10 through the inlet16 can travel to each channel 42 in a more uniform manner. In someembodiments, an insert 44 is installed within the main line 40 tobifurcate the flow pathway, as can be seen in FIG. 3C. The insert 44obstructs flow within the main line 40, causing gas to flow to eachbranch 42 in a more uniform manner.

FIGS. 4 and 5 shows that the lower portion 14 of the showerhead device10 can include two plates 30, 32 that define a lower or internal plenum22 between them. FIG. 5 illustrates the second showerhead plate 32 shownin FIG. 4 . In some embodiments, the illustrated lower or internalplenum 22 comprises hollow channels 23 forming several concentric ringson the base of the second showerhead plate 32, while the firstshowerhead plate 30 can be flat to cover the channels 23. In someembodiments, the inlet apertures 18 formed in the second plate 32 arebetween the channels 23 and thus bypass the internal plenum 22 (orchannels), and align with inlet apertures 18 in the first plate 30. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the gas outlet apertures 20 are formedthrough the bottom of the channels 23. The channels 23, or internalplenum 22, connect to a pump 9, as explained above. The precursor inletapertures 18, the exhaust apertures 20, the hollow channels 23, and theconnections 25 to the pump(s) 9 can be arranged in a distributed patternacross the lower portion of the showerhead device. For example, thepattern illustrated in FIG. 5 for the reactant inlet apertures, theexhaust ports, and the hollow channels 23 is a circular pattern. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the illustrated patternof ports may be an incomplete pattern and that the pattern can becontinued around the entire base of the showerhead plate. In someembodiments, the precursor inlet ports 18, the exhaust ports 20, thehollow channels 23, and the connections 25 to the pump 9 can be arrangedin similar or different patterns from each other. As shown in FIG. 5 ,in some embodiments, the lower portion 14 of the showerhead device 10can have four connections 25 to the pump(s) 9 at 90 degrees to oneanother. In other embodiments, the lower portion 14 of showerhead device10 can have more or fewer than four connections 25 to the pump(s) 9.

FIG. 6 illustrates an upper plan view of the second showerhead plate 32of the lower portion 14 of the showerhead device 10, according toanother embodiment. The second showerhead plate 32 of FIG. 6 can havechannels 23 shaped in any suitable manner to define the lower orinternal plenum 22. The channels 23 can take on several different shapesand patterns. For example, the hollow channel(s) 23 can be arranged in azig-zag or labyrinth pattern as shown in FIG. 6 . In some embodiments,the second showerhead plate 32 can contain multiple channels 23, witheach channel 23 having a different or similar pattern. Inlet apertures18 can be formed outside the channel(s) 23 while the exhaust apertures20 can formed in fluid communication with the channel(s) 23, while thechannel(s) 23 are connected to one or more pump(s) 9.

FIG. 7 illustrates a reactor 2 with a dual showerhead device 10, asdescribed above, and a movable susceptor plate 50. The moveablesusceptor 50 can create a reactor 2 with a dynamic reaction space. Adynamic reaction space can include adjusting the distance between themoveable susceptor plate 50 and the showerhead device 10. For example,the reaction space can be changed for every cycle, every half cycle, orperiodically at any time if desired. The moveable susceptor plate 50 canbe adjusted through an external motion driver unit 52. The externalmotion driver unit 52 can comprise an analog or digital motor, and canbe mechanically and electrically connected to the moveable susceptorplate 50, whereby the external motion driver unit 52 can adjust (e.g.,up and down) the moveable susceptor plate 50. With an external motiondriver unit 52 connected to the apparatus 1, the gap between the wafer 6and showerhead device 10 (or top plate, in the case of cross flowreactor) can be changed over time, if desired. In some embodiments, themoveable susceptor plate 50 can move a distance in a range of 1 mm to200 mm; in a range of 2 mm to 100 mm; in a range of 2 mm to 50 mm; or ina range of 3 mm to 30 mm. In some embodiments, the susceptor plate canmove a distance of in a range of 0.1 mm to 50 mm; in a range of 0.1 mmto 30 mm; or in a range of 0.1 mm to 20 mm. In some embodiments, theexternal motion driver 52 can rotate the moveable susceptor plate 50. Invarious embodiments, a control system can be in electrical communicationwith the motor drive, the control system configured to adjust thedistance between the moveable susceptor plate 50 and the showerheaddevice 10 during etching.

The control system can also be configured to control the processes beingused in the apparatus 1. In one example of operation taking advantage ofboth injection and exhaust through the overhead showerhead device 10,the reactant, e.g., etchant, and the exhaust processes can be pulsed oralternated during the process for dynamic pressure control. A reactantdose can thus be divided into multiple short pulses, which can improvethe distribution of the reactant molecules into the reaction chamber,facilitating rapid gas spreading by diffusion and/or pressure gradientacross the substrate during each reactant or purge pulse. The switch-onand switch-off stages can repeated at least two times for the reactant.As a result, the pressure of the reaction space fluctuates rapidlybetween the low level and higher level pressure. The resulting pressuregradient in the reaction space during the switch-on stage pushes theprecursor molecules efficiently to all areas of the reaction space,while the resulting pressure gradient in the reaction space during theswitch-off stage pulls gaseous reaction by-products away from thesurfaces of the reaction space to the gas outlet. If a conventional,relatively long pulse (e.g., 1 second) is released to the reactionchamber 3, the pressure is allowed to equalize, such that dynamicspreading effect is lost and the main part of the gas flow tends to headdirectly to the gas outlet. When several short pulses (e.g., 3 times 0.3seconds) are released, a much more even distribution is achieved in asimilar time period.

Local pressure gradients enhance the exchange of gases in the reactionspace and enhance the exchange of molecules between the substratesurface and the gas phase of the reaction space. It has been found thatmultiple pulses of the same gas per step, whether purge step or reactantstep, is particularly advantageous when processing (e.g., etching)wafers with high aspect ratio features, such as deep, narrow trenches orvias in semiconductor substrates. Thus, the process of multiplesame-vapor pulses in a row, and the consequent pressure fluctuations,are particularly advantageous for etching surfaces that include vias andtrenches of greater than 20:1 aspect ratio, and more particularlygreater than 40:1 aspect ratio. The pressure fluctuations enable moreuniform distribution and/or coverage of the surfaces within such viasand trenches in less overall time than a single prolonged pulse. Thus,overall process time (or cycle time for cyclical processing) is reduced.

One example of an etching process will now be described. Duringprecursor A exposure, the gap between the wafer 6 and showerhead device10 can be about 3 mm and can be optimized for delivery of reactant A.During purging, the gap between the wafer 6 and showerhead device 10 canbe adjusted accordingly. During reactant B exposure time, the gap can beadjusted appropriately to deliver reactant B. The disclosed embodimentaccordingly provides flexibility to each step of the process. Theapparatuses described herein can be used in etching processes, includingplasma etch processes. For plasma processes, the plasma sheath width,ion bombardment, residence time, plasma density, etc., can be adjustedand optimized for any step of the processes.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosure. Indeed, the novel methods and systems describedherein may be embodied in a variety of other forms. Furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the systems and methodsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of thedisclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intendedto cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope andspirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the presentdisclosure is defined only by reference to the appended claims.

Features, materials, characteristics, or groups described in conjunctionwith a particular aspect, embodiment, or example are to be understood tobe applicable to any other aspect, embodiment or example described inthis section or elsewhere in this specification unless incompatibletherewith. All of the features disclosed in this specification(including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or allof the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined inany combination, except combinations where at least some of suchfeatures and/or steps are mutually exclusive. The protection is notrestricted to the details of any foregoing embodiments. The protectionextends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the featuresdisclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims,abstract and drawings), or to any novel one, or any novel combination,of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

Furthermore, certain features that are described in this disclosure inthe context of separate implementations can also be implemented incombination in a single implementation. Conversely, various featuresthat are described in the context of a single implementation can also beimplemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitablesubcombination. Moreover, although features may be described above asacting in certain combinations, one or more features from a claimedcombination can, in some cases, be excised from the combination, and thecombination may be claimed as a subcombination or variation of asubcombination.

Moreover, while operations may be depicted in the drawings or describedin the specification in a particular order, such operations need not beperformed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or thatall operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. Otheroperations that are not depicted or described can be incorporated in theexample methods and processes. For example, one or more additionaloperations can be performed before, after, simultaneously, or betweenany of the described operations. Further, the operations may berearranged or reordered in other implementations. Those skilled in theart will appreciate that in some embodiments, the actual steps taken inthe processes illustrated and/or disclosed may differ from those shownin the figures. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the stepsdescribed above may be removed, others may be added. Furthermore, thefeatures and attributes of the specific embodiments disclosed above maybe combined in different ways to form additional embodiments, all ofwhich fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Also, theseparation of various system components in the implementations describedabove should not be understood as requiring such separation in allimplementations, and it should be understood that the describedcomponents and systems can generally be integrated together in a singleproduct or packaged into multiple products.

For purposes of this disclosure, certain aspects, advantages, and novelfeatures are described herein. Not necessarily all such advantages maybe achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment. Thus, forexample, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure maybe embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves one advantage or agroup of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving otheradvantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

Conditional language, such as “can,” “could,” “might,” or “may,” unlessspecifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within thecontext as used, is generally intended to convey that certainembodiments include, while other embodiments do not include, certainfeatures, elements, and/or steps. Thus, such conditional language is notgenerally intended to imply that features, elements, and/or steps are inany way required for one or more embodiments or that one or moreembodiments necessarily include logic for deciding, with or without userinput or prompting, whether these features, elements, and/or steps areincluded or are to be performed in any particular embodiment.

Conjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, and Z,”unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with thecontext as used in general to convey that an item, term, etc. may beeither X, Y, or Z. Thus, such conjunctive language is not generallyintended to imply that certain embodiments require the presence of atleast one of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z.

Language of degree used herein, such as the terms “approximately,”“about,” “generally,” and “substantially” as used herein represent avalue, amount, or characteristic close to the stated value, amount, orcharacteristic that still performs a desired function or achieves adesired result. For example, the terms “approximately”, “about”,“generally,” and “substantially” may refer to an amount that is withinless than 10% of, within less than 5% of, within less than 1% of, withinless than 0.1% of, and within less than 0.01% of the stated amount. Asanother example, in certain embodiments, the terms “generally parallel”and “substantially parallel” refer to a value, amount, or characteristicthat departs from exactly parallel by less than or equal to 15 degrees,10 degrees, 5 degrees, 3 degrees, 1 degree, or 0.1 degree.

The scope of the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by thespecific disclosures of preferred embodiments in this section orelsewhere in this specification, and may be defined by claims aspresented in this section or elsewhere in this specification or aspresented in the future. The language of the claims is to be interpretedbroadly based on the language employed in the claims and not limited tothe examples described in the present specification or during theprosecution of the application, which examples are to be construed asnon-exclusive.

1. A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising: a reaction chamberand a reaction chamber exhaust port, the reaction chamber exhaust portconfigured to remove vapors from the reaction chamber; a showerheaddevice connected to the reaction chamber and configured to deliverreactant vapors to the reaction chamber, the showerhead devicecomprising: a gas inlet configured to supply the reactant vapors intothe showerhead device; a first showerhead plate in fluid communicationwith the gas inlet, the first showerhead plate comprising a plurality ofopenings; and a second showerhead plate comprising: a plurality of inletports in fluid communication with the plurality of openings, theplurality of inlet ports configured to deliver the reactant vapors tothe reaction chamber; and a plurality of outlet apertures configured toremove vapors from the reaction chamber; and a plurality of pumpsconnected to the reaction chamber exhaust port and the plurality ofoutlet apertures, the plurality of pumps configured to remove vaporsfrom the reaction chamber through the reaction chamber exhaust port andthe plurality of outlet apertures at a plurality of pumping speeds, theplurality of pumps configured to modulate the plurality of pumpingspeeds.
 2. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of pumping speeds independently range from about 25 m³/hto about 5000 m³/h.
 3. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim1, further comprising a susceptor within the reaction chamber facing theshowerhead device.
 4. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 3,further comprising a motor drive connected to the susceptor, the motordrive configured to adjust the distance between the susceptor and theshowerhead device.
 5. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 4,further comprising a control system in electrical communication with themotor drive, the control system configured to adjust the distancebetween the susceptor and the showerhead device during etching.
 6. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first andsecond showerhead plates cooperate to define a channel in fluidcommunication with the plurality of outlet apertures and the pluralityof pumps.
 7. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 6, whereinthe showerhead device comprises an upper portion and a lower portionseparated by a plenum, the upper portion comprising a second pluralityof openings and the lower portion comprising the first and secondshowerhead plates.
 8. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 6,wherein the plurality of inlet ports bypasses the channel.
 9. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the channel formsa zig-zag pattern.
 10. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim1, wherein the plurality of outlet apertures are located alongconcentric rings on the second plate.
 11. The semiconductor processingapparatus of claim 1, wherein the gas inlet comprises a plurality ofbranched inlet lines that deliver the reactant vapors to the firstshowerhead plate.
 12. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1,further comprising a control system configured to deliver an etchreactant from an etch reactant source to the reaction chamber.
 13. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 12, further comprising theetch reactant source in fluid communication with the first showerheadplate.
 14. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 13, whereinthe control system is configured to deliver the etch reactant to asubstrate conformally such that etch conformality is greater than 50%.15. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim 13, wherein thecontrol system is configured to deliver the etch reactant to a substrateselectively such that the etch selectivity is greater than 10%.
 16. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising aninlet manifold, the inlet manifold disposed between the gas inlet andthe plenum.
 17. A semiconductor processing apparatus, comprising: areaction chamber; a reaction chamber exhaust port configured to removevapors from the reaction chamber; and a showerhead device comprising: aplurality of distributed inlet apertures in fluid communication with areaction vapor source and the reaction chamber; a plurality of pumps;and a plurality of distributed exhaust apertures in fluid communicationwith the plurality of pumps and the reaction chamber.
 18. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 17, wherein the showerheaddevice comprise a first showerhead plate disposed over a secondshowerhead plate.
 19. The semiconductor processing apparatus of claim18, wherein the first showerhead plate includes a plurality of inletopenings, and wherein the second showerhead plate includes a pluralityof inlet ports and a plurality of exhaust ports.
 20. The semiconductorprocessing apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a gas inletincluding a plurality of branched gas inlet lines to deliver vapors tothe showerhead device.
 21. A semiconductor processing apparatus,comprising: a reaction chamber; a showerhead device comprising: aninternal plenum communicating with a pump; a plurality of exhaustapertures in fluid communication with the internal plenum and thereaction chamber; a plurality of inlet apertures in fluid communicationwith a reaction vapor source and the reaction chamber, the inletapertures extending through the showerhead device and bypassing theinternal plenum; and a plurality of pumps in fluid communication withthe plurality of exhaust apertures.
 22. The semiconductor processingapparatus of claim 21, wherein the internal plenum comprises a labyrinthpattern.
 23. The semiconductor process apparatus of claim 22, whereinthe showerhead device comprises two showerhead plates, and the labyrinthpattern is defined by a groove in one of the plates that is covered bythe other of the plates.
 24. The semiconductor processing apparatus ofclaim 21, further comprising a reaction chamber exhaust port.
 25. Thesemiconductor processing apparatus of claim 21, wherein the ratio of thepumping speed of gases through the outlet apertures to the pumping speedof gases through the reaction chamber exhaust port in the reactionchamber is in a range of 100:1 to 1:100.